Monday, August 31, 2009

As some of you may know, I'm a big Adidas guy, so you can imagine I'm pretty interested in the new fixed gear inspired OT-Tech collection. Some interesting stuff in here...

No US release yet apparently, which is a bit of a bummer. This set is pretty colorful though and things over here are trending back towards much more subdued colorways, so I wouldn't be surprised if they only market this in Asia...

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Check these photos of our man Shigeo taken by Jake Ricker at a recent shoot for a Japanese fixed gear mag. This was a mistake as Jake apparently double (or triple) shot over the same roll of film, but they turned out pretty interesting...

DENVER, CO.—SkateBike is an annual day-long, outdoor event that mashes up skateboard and fixed-gear bicycle culture. It is free, all ages, and includes bike/skate competitions for all levels with cash and product prizes. Additionally, there will be a vendor village, live music, food, and a pop-up art gallery with dozens of works by local artists.

EVENT DETAILSArts: Pop-up skateboard deck gallery featuring the work of local artists, live screen-printing from Indy Ink, plus a collaborative mural installation by local graffiti legends.

Monday, August 24, 2009

So glad to see that the Fixed Gear London crew is still rolling on this project...

"Our 4th issue will be out next week. If you are at Eurobike or the CMWC in Japan or even in London, look out for free copies of the mag. The online free PDF will be released at the same time as the physical issue. Thank you for reading!!"

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The guys at Milwaukee Bikes just announced that if you send in a pic of your built-up MKE Bruiser for their new gallery page, they'll hit you with a 20% coupon for their website. If you have a Bruiser, grab your camera and start snappin'!

Picked up this 'zine at my local independent record store tonight. I love 'zines, whether they're good, bad, or otherwise. Doesn't matter to me, I'll read them all.

Seems like everything I've ever been involved in has been supported by the 'zine culture, from freestyle in the '80s to punk/hardcore in the '90s to the fixed gear thing in the 2000s. I'm not sure what that says about me, in fact I'd rather not think about it.

To be honest though, I consider the Bootleg series to be in the 'zine family in a way. 'Zines are all kind of patched together and printed on the cheap, full of people/bands/whatever that you've never really heard of, and usually vanish into oblivion after three issues or so.

Maybe I'll put together a 'zine full of random interviews with all of the Bootleg riders just for the hell of it...

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Got a copy of Up Up and Away by Sunday Bikes when it came out a month or two ago. Good stuff. My two favorite riders are Ian Schwartz and Eric Lichtenstein, both of whom are guys who, interestingly enough, don't run pegs.

Even in BMX (street riding that is) I much prefer the pegless approach because it forces guys to think completely differently about how they ride. I guess that's why I was so into the fixed gear stuff initially, the format generated a ton of creativity and new ideas, and that's really what it's all about for me. I love seeing guys come up with things I've never seen before, no matter what kind of bike they're riding.

This web edit by Ian Schwartz came out about a year ago and is included in the bonus features...

Chances are you've seen it before, but it's still one of my all-time favorite edits...

Monday, August 17, 2009

My brand-spankin'-new MKE Bruiser frame was waiting for me on my doorstep when I got home today, and let me tell you, it looks absolutely beautiful. I asked for a paint scheme with a flecked silver base overlayed with a deep red clear coat, and it turned out perfect. The custom colors the Milwaukee guys are providing for the Bruisers are second to none.

Oh, and the frame itself looks to be tops too, love the changes to the bottom bracket cluster. I'll provide more info on how it feels once I have it built up... stay tuned!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Our man Jake had his beautiful 3Rensho stolen while he was in Portland last weekend. A couple of other bikes/frames were stolen at the same time. That sucks. If you live in the area and happen to spot it anywhere, please let us know.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Went out to watch some action at the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indy this evening. The weather was perfect, sunny with absolutely no wind. There was a solid turnout of riders, and everyone was relaxed and having a good time racing and/or watching.

Our man Shawn Wolf was there cranking around... check out his initial flying lap where you can hear the announcer cracking on him for running clips and straps...!

To top it all off, the great-granddaughter of Major Taylor himself was hanging out in the infield during the races. She happened to be in town for some sort of plaque dedication so she stopped by to check out the facility. She's the woman sitting on the right...

All in all it was a great evening. Hopefully I'll be able to make it out at least one more time before the season is over...

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Last weekend I went to an event called ReCycle '09. It was set up to support/introduce a company that is making products (messenger bags, wallets, etc.) out of the material that used to make up the roof of the Hoosier Dome before it was blown to bits. Bootleg Sessions v.3 was screened at the event on a piece of the material which was pretty cool. All in all it was a great event, lots of people there... thanks to the guys from theindycog.com for hooking everything up!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Jeff Frane from All-City dropped me a note with the details about the upcoming All City Championships in Minneapolis. Here's what he had to say...

This is the biggest event I throw all year (200+ riders) and this year I'm going balls out to make it the best bike party of the summer. Four days of events, a party in a downtown alley, tricks, sprints, alleycat, booze cruise and polo. Please let you readers know that if they can get here they really should. It's going to be a special weekend.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Luke Stiles, the man behind the amazing (trust me) Empire project, recently posted a great set of photos that he has taken over the past couple of years. In the set are lots of pics of the Philly/NYC crew as they were filming for the original Bootleg Sessions video...

Damn that brings back some fantastic memories. I feel extremely lucky and priveledged to have gotten to know these guys, and everyone else that I've met over the years as well. It has truly been an amazing ride...

Friday, August 7, 2009

Milwaukee is hooking me up with one of the new production MKE Bruiser frames. It has a flecked silver base with a deep red clear coat on top. Are you kidding me? So gorgeous... they are really outdoing themselves with the custom paint jobs now.

Huge thanks to Drew and the rest of the Milwaukee crew, as always!

Prolly has a new Bruiser frame on the way as well... check it out here.